Jealousy
by QuiteQuiet
Summary: Neo tries to get the moves on Yang. Blake does not do well under the pressure. [Baked Alaska/Bumbleby one-shot; non-villain Neo AU]


_**Author's Note: Hey all, I published this in November 2014 and have been proud of it ever since. In terms of fanfiction, I never expected something that initially presented itself as a constant stream of Blake's irrational rage would become my most treasured work. **_

_**To celebrate the surprising personal success that is **_**Jealousy_, I decided to spin a brief revision to make some parts clearer. As always, this story is dedicated to any female Bumbleby fan who has ever had a crush on a friend.  
_**

* * *

Blake _hated_ that sneaky little weasel.

Her eyes narrowed whenever the sound of those boots clopped by. She would pause to reanalyze every little reason for her loathing, and then some. And that freak would still go flouncing along, not a care in the world for Blake's thoughts, that infuriating little smirk lopsided on the left side of her mouth.

Neo. Neo the psycho ice cream lady.

Blake couldn't believe she didn't have a history with the police. She'd stayed up late steeped in research, connections, potential aliases. But by the time of the third sunrise she had to concede her initial suspicion was wrong. As awfully as reality could hit, Neo was, by legal definition, a good citizen.

That only fueled Blake's rage.

A part of her knew it was petty, something of which she'd swore to never stoop. If things were different she could have found Neo charming, even cute. She was certainly popular enough with Ruby and Nora, who fawned over her parasol, went into squealing giggle fits at the white streaks in her hair, the collection of necklaces threaded around her collarbone, the sparkly-clean jacket with the _disgusting_ pink interior….Pyrrha, welcoming as always, asked lots of questions and tried to discern a reply based on gestures. Even Weiss had grown fond of her, opting to study together and partake in quieter, more proper activities. Never did the idea of tea sound so revolting.

Blake considered herself decent enough, fighting only for what was right in the world. She never remembered feeling such blatant contempt for anything less than a bigot or a criminal. So what led her to stalk Neo with her eyes that moment from the fountain, tracing her steps until her figure blurred under Blake's unbridled fury?

It was very simple.

Neo was trying to get the moves on Yang Xiao Long.

It started in the courtyard, where Blake sat reading a book, knees up as she leaned against the walls potting the foliage. Yang was throwing a ball through the air and then running to catch it, to test her reflexes. Neither saw her coming with that deliberate sway, the rod of her parasol tucked neatly on her shoulder. Neo had come over, and she'd done it to see Yang.

The next throw landed in a palm shooting straight up, making them look over. There she was, holding that parasol, twisting just a little at the hip.

"Hey, you're a good catch," Yang had said. "Thanks."

She'd raised her arm to receive the toss. Instead the girl sauntered forward, slowly, ladylike. Yang's arm had lowered gradually at the sight coming before her. "Oh, well, returning it that way works too."

There was the slightest change in her voice. She did not move as the girl smiled, her head tilted as she followed every movement of Yang's eyes with her own.

In those few seconds Blake felt a plunge in her stomach. Yang did not notice, but the other girl did. Still trained on Yang, she put one gloved hand on the blond's open palm to return the ball.

"Oh," said Yang, coming back to her senses. "Thanks."

The girl had merely nodded, something a little more meaningful in the way she blinked. She turned to Blake sitting on the courtyard.

"Oh, that's Blake," said Yang, extending an arm in introduction. "She's my partner. At the academy," she added. "We're in Team RWBY." Blake was breathing slowly and heavily, keeping her gaze on this girl's. Strangely, one eye was brown and the other pink—perhaps an effect of having her hair split the same way. Other than that, the girl looked perfectly innocent. Or she would, if it weren't for that knowing smile, the way her head stayed cocked as she took in everything without saying a word.

"So," Yang had said. "What's your name?"

The girl reached into a pocket and brought out a tiny white card with pink perpendicular stripes. It was the only reference to speech Blake would see from her, and as Yang scooted closer to read the printed name, the terrible feeling in Blake roiled.

"Neo," said Yang. "That's a cute name. Goes with your hair."

Neo looked again at Blake, almost with a hint of amusement. Her sight flicked to the bow. Blake twitched, hoping her ears hadn't moved the fabric. They didn't, according to Yang's assuring half-smile and down motion of her hands. But that couldn't keep Blake from fixating on Neo, then Yang, then Neo. They were standing _very_ close.

Neo tilted her head once more, an innocuous movement. She blinked, making Blake startle; the color of her eyes had switched places, and from that moment on Blake hated her bitterly and deathlessly.

* * *

"I don't know why you guys aren't friends yet. She's so adorable!"

"Please don't question my reservations," said Blake with a dark look from the corner of Ruby's bed.

Neo was standing politely outside their door, waiting for the others to get ready. The parasol was shut and held low in her hands. Ruby turned again to wave, and when Blake leaned past the spunky fifteen-year-old to scrutinize Neo, she realized they didn't have a clue what age she was. She looked sickeningly juvenile, but the academy wouldn't accept an exchange student that young. Blake's flesh crawled as her lip perceptibly curled. Was Yang spending all her time with a cougar? For all they knew, she could have been in her _thirties._

Yang appeared then, practically bursting from the armoire in casual, but clean clothes. "There we go," she said freshly, pivoting to the door right as Weiss showed up in the hallway.

"Oh great, we're all here," said the white-haired girl, seeing them in the room. She shared with Neo a fast, crinkling smile, then addressed the team. "So are we going or what? No point in being cooped up on a weekend with nothing to do."

The sweetness was infectious. Blake fell back onto the covers, wanting Weiss' impatient tone. She trailed Ruby going to meet them, and then Yang, her hair less messy than usual, the space between her shoulders hunched as she looked down at Neo. Neo's grin came back, and in a tiny movement she brushed aside the bangs that had fallen in front of Yang's face.

Fingernails gouged across Ruby's sheets. "Hey Blake?" called Weiss. "Are you gonna stay up there?"

"Coming," said Blake, leaping off the bed and completing the party.

She lingered behind, in rejection and contemplation. The other four spanned the city sidewalk, the same way Blake would if _she_ hadn't arrived. She watched diligently, checking for any sign of skin touching. Neo kept her hands off Yang, content walking alongside, and her eyes slid to the left because she knew exactly what was going on behind her.

Was it because she was acrobatic? Blake was acrobatic. She was practically an assassin. They had to be nimble. Neo was just nimble to keep up that ridiculous saccharine appearance. Pretty girl, nothing but air. _Look at me, I'm soo adorable. I'm a china doll. Watch me twirl my parasol._ Blake darkened at her memory of the friendly battle at the campus square not long after Neo had transferred into Beacon. RWBY and JNPR had gathered to watch, with little reservation about their reactions. _Wow, Neo, you move like the wind! _Weiss had said to Blake's dismay._ So calculated and coordinated. Were you a gymnast?_

Weiss had one thing right. Neo was calculating.

She'd bested Yang with an incredible speed, dodging every blow and returning lightning-quick, gut-wrenching strikes. She had perfect control of physics, working with weight and space to finally deliver Yang onto her back. _Perfect little Neo._ Blake had been worried about Yang being slammed against the hard square concrete, but after she'd gotten over being winded, she'd laughed in amazement. Neo smiled before offering to lift her up.

Blake couldn't help it. "She could have gotten hurt!" and then she realized she'd said it at a sparring match, on a schoolyard, within an academy that trained its students to hunt monsters.

The others were looking at her. "Excuse me?" said Weiss, as Pyrrha frowned ever so slightly.

"Nothing," muttered Blake, turning red.

"No worries, Blake," said Yang. "I am bruised and surprised, but it is nothing I can't handle. Got a hard head, you know." She knocked on it for emphasis. Neo was still holding onto her, parasol up to shade them both. Subtly, almost unconsciously, her hand slipped loose from Yang's and rested around her back. Her eyes changed color, and only Blake saw the smirk.

"I don't believe it."

Blake snapped back to the present time. What she saw was disgustingly abhorrent and hideously natural. Weiss had found a floppy white sunhat with a red rose tied on the ribbon above the brim. It fit Neo's head perfectly, and if she was grudgingly cute before, this skyrocketed her into the levels of a collector's item.

"I don't believe it," Weiss repeated, an awed smile drawing at her lip. Neo waited with her parasol pointed down.

It was like Ruby had gone mute. Then her lungs emptied in the longest, highest shriek of delight, carrying down the block. "Itssoadorableicanttakeit!" She grabbed Weiss by the wrist, charging toward the hat stand. "We have to get it for her!"

The others remained still, watching, until Neo and Yang turned back to each other. Neo pinched the hat, adjusting it to make herself look cuter. Her eyelids fluttered at Yang, genuinely, but something about it let Blake know it was also mocking, taunting. Enrage the outsider. _Pointless window dressing for the pointless window girl. Let's put her behind glass and make her stay there_.

Yang smiled back, entranced. Her hand went up to lightly finger the brim, and as Blake watched, Neo's eyes flitted to look at the gap in Yang's top.

Flames burst in Blake's fists, and her vision narrowed dangerously. She could kill, she could definitely kill, and a whole forest of Grimm could not protect themselves from her wrath.

* * *

She stayed up again, arms spread, mulling the case of the person in the bunk above her. Blake was the only one not yet asleep—"Hey, why are my sheets torn?" Ruby had asked when they returned to the dorm—and now that day had wound into night, Blake could be completely alone with her thoughts.

What was it that made Neo so attractive to Yang? Blake had heard of confidence being key, but Neo's transcended into arrogance. At least, to Blake. Blake _was _the one person Neo liked to mercilessly tease, after all. Because she _knew_. She knew right away why Blake was hanging around that empty courtyard. So she jumped in to claim Yang as her own?

Blake made a cry of exasperation and rolled on her side. She folded the pillow over her ears, shutting herself in. Something was wrenching at her chest, making her stomach tremble…no, she had to figure out what was with Neo. The crazy little girl with the perfect splits at the tips of her hair. Is that how much Blake hated her, that she would notice such a detail?

Maybe she had mind control.

Blake's shoulders rose and fell as she continued to think. Yang was the confident one. She was the one hard to keep up with, a freight train, maybe caught for a just a minute before she whipped a turn and threw you to the tracks. So what tamed her, then? What about Neo made her so soft, so mild? It was abnormal. Blake would know. Blake was the one destined to work with her, for god's sake. Yet despite the revulsion she felt towards Yang and Neo's time together, she _wanted_ to see that dopiness in Yang's eyes, that subconscious gentleness and regard. The thing was that she didn't want to see it trained toward Neo, or Weiss, or Ruby, or a boy or anyone but _her._

A slice went up Blake's heart, sharp and fast, and guiltily she bit her lip.

* * *

She saw them eating ice cream, silent and content, their legs kicking lightly in their seats. Blake felt like smashing the table under that nice sunny day.

* * *

She buried herself in books. It was distracting, and they were ultimately at Beacon to study. Her mind became engorged. In the extra hours she'd clocked into her already regular time at the library, Blake wouldn't be surprised if she aced every test thrown at her.

One night the girls insisted on going out. Pyrrha waved off Blake as the Faunus exited the library, going to get a jacket from the dorm. She opened the door to find Neo standing in the middle of the room, parasol closed, looking almost humored by the entrance.

"So this place, it's really fun to ride by in the dark, especially if people are shooting off fireworks at the pier."

They looked to the room's left. Yang came into view, holding her bike helmet. "I like to go fast kicking up the old Bumblebee, just a warning." She saw Blake, and fell silent.

"Oh…well," she said a moment later, glancing at the wall. "I thought you were studying."

"I was," said Blake. Then: "We're going out."

There was a tiny rustle as Neo's jacket moved with her head. Blake's eyes remained on Yang. The blond's fingers drummed on the helmet, one at a time. "Well, don't let us stop you," she said. Neo's lips parted as Yang went to find a spare helmet. "So where are you going?" Yang asked.

"We don't know yet," said Blake.

Neo's mouth open, it was so rare. She must have been really happy for that fable to come into light. It was maddening. Blake stayed in the doorway, and while Yang was distracted, Neo slowly turned to their side of the room. Her eyes settled on the bookshelf, and Blake traced her gaze right to the black cover of _Ninjas of Love_.

"It only took you so long," said Weiss when Blake returned outside the library. She was panting from running to meet them. Weiss looked briefly at Blake's choice of garb. "Doesn't even go with your blouse," she said of the navy blue jacket. "Well, you can button it up, I suppose, if you don't want to look tacky."

"Oh come on, Weiss, nobody is going to notice," said Ruby, putting a hand on her arm. Weiss pulled it back indignantly. "Besides," Ruby went on while Weiss ran her fingers through her hair, "isn't it fun to look crazy once in a while? It's like…like…harmless chaos!"

"Yeah!" agreed Nora. "And it's only more fitting when we're gonna party it up!" The last few words came with snarling vigor. She giggled to herself. Ruby focused back on Blake.

"So where's Yang and Neo? It's only right that they join us on what's going to be a totally awesome night."

"They're busy," said Blake, pulling the jacket collar over her neck.

"Awww, that's a bummer," said Nora.

"Well, if they're not coming, we should go," said Weiss. "Standing around isn't any fun, and I'm cold."

"Maybe you should have gone to get a jacket, Weiss," quipped Ruby to the heiress's dismay.

"I didn't think we'd be having long conversations about people who aren't even here! I thought we'd be moving, getting our blood pumped up."

"That's the spirit, Weiss, in true Team RWBY fashion," said the leader as Weiss left without them. A red cape flapped in Ruby's pursuit to catch up. "The night is young! Let's get wild!" Nora's laugh echoed in the air after them. Blake remained still, and then Pyrrha spoke.

"Blake? Are you all right?"

She'd forgotten she was there. Blake's eye flicked warily as Pyrrha looked her in the face.

"I'm fine," she said. "Let's go."

When they got back Yang was in the second floor lounge, reading while Neo rested on her knee. The tiny girl lay curled on the couch cushions, parasol secured in a parallel hold. They had clearly worn themselves out over the past few hours. Neo scooted closer to move her head onto Yang's thigh, and absentmindedly Yang began to stroke her hair.

How pretty that parasol would look, stuffed right down her throat.

* * *

Blake had to deal with the parasite in her room. She officially reached granted access, and oddly enough the dorm tended to be louder when she was around. Currently she was sitting on the windowsill, watching the others perform their antics.

"And I mean, this guy was talking _reeaaaaaaaaally _big," said Yang. The girl had gotten her hands on mild liquor and was feeling the effects, spinning dazed through the room in attempt to walk it off. "And I was saying, you can't wrangle a fish as big as a tree without getting hurt. You can't even hit the broad side of a—" She fell backwards, the plastic wine glass lost from her grip. It hit Weiss's shoe and she kicked it, groaning impatiently when Ruby laughed at it bouncing loudly back above her sister's head.

Neo got off the windowsill. Blake watched from her bed as she went to Yang, standing above her so powerfully with the most innocent of stances. She swayed at the waist, taking in the situation. Then, shifting the parasol to one hand, she got down and cinched Yang's hips between her legs.

"_OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!" said Ruby as Yang buckled from the contact.

Neo didn't look up. Her eyelids lowered to Yang, whose expression was contorted in confused and utter ecstasy. Her fingers dug into the floor, trying to find purchase. "Neo," she stuttered as the girl's smile grew wider.

Certain to keep hold of Yang's hips, Neo leaned to get the wine glass. She put it quietly in Yang's shaking fingers, then placed her hands on Yang's stomach as the blond fought to structure a reply.

"Th-thanks Neo, I r-really need to—"

Neo lifted once and, without warning, dropped back down. Yang jerked again, and the noise she made sounded as though she was in a bizarre form of pain.

"Hey ladies, we at Team JNPR invite you to a chess match at—OH MY GOD!" screamed Jaune in abject horror, as he saw what happened from the doorway.

Even Nora was in shock. Neo paid them no mind, and continued to gaze down on Yang, smitten but also smirking. Yang was in another dimension. "_Neo_," she said, and Blake rippled with goosebumps.

Weiss's face flushed a deep red. She made the quickest of glances at Ruby, whose mouth stretched in wonder at the progressing sight. "Whoa," she whispered, and in the next moment, she saw their fingers intertwine.

Weiss curtained a hand over Ruby's eyes, leading her out of the room. Neither Yang nor Neo made a move to leave the spotlight.

"Well, I guess another time," said Ren, spinning around to return to his dorm.

Team JNPR dispersed. Blake crawled off her bed and slunk into the shadows.

* * *

She paced across campus, going nowhere. Her breath came in visible puffs as she kept her eyes on the ground. Somewhere in the background the fountain streamed and people were talking, but she didn't want people. She didn't want _anything_ except to be alone.

"Blake?"

She whipped around, and Pyrrha was behind her. The redhead hesitated.

"Blake," she said. "I know what this means for you."

Blake's eyebrow lifted. She slowly straightened as Pyrrha went on. "This thing with Neo, I don't think Yang knows how much it hurts you," she said. "Or that Neo is rubbing it in your face on purpose."

Blake opened her eyes very wide. Pyrrha didn't stop. "They like each other now, but it's not going to last. Yang is…infatuated, very much so, along with Neo. But in time, they'll see they're not right for each other."

Blake's face twisted, and she stepped back. Pyrrha thought before saying her next words. "Yang isn't acting in her usual way around Neo. It's not who she is. That doesn't work in the kind of relationship they're in, and eventually they'll both come to see that. It's…a schoolgirl crush, that's all." She shrugged with one shoulder.

Blake's breath came fast and jagged, wisps cutting in the night sky. She stared at Pyrrha, but when the other girl started to come forward Blake shook her head and pelted away, heading straight for the dorm. She flung the door open, and miraculously she was alone, and she slammed the door and collapsed on her bed to sob at nothing and everything. It was loud and ugly, and she choked into the sheets. A few minutes later she snorted, trying to clear the mucus. She could feel the headache coming on, the red rims around her eyes. The duvet was a mess. Blake heaved it up, using it to wipe her face.

She stayed like that, legs crossed on the bed. "_God_," she finally said, pitching herself onto the pillow. "_Uggggggggh_."

Her teammates heard not a word the rest of the evening, leaving her to her private devices. She settled into bed with her back turned, falling asleep quickly and feeling much lighter than before.

* * *

She saw them again in the courtyard, at the corner where they first met. Blake watched curiously from a distance, letting it unfold.

Pyrrha did have a point. They _weren't_ themselves in the other's presence. Well, Blake wasn't sure about Neo, but even she couldn't be the constantly flipping mirror of cocky and demure all the time.

The day was cloudless, sunrays deflecting off Neo's parasol. The girl had shaded herself beneath it. Its colors filtered through the material to radiate around her, and it was right then that Blake realized there was indeed something pretty about her.

Neo closed the parasol. Yang inched forward, mesmerized. Silently, with the grace and honor of a knight to a lady, Neo took Yang's arm and kissed her on the hand.

Blake did not feel herself flying through the air. She only heard the wind as she flipped three times, landing between them on her feet. Neo let go. Blake turned to Yang, hands on her hips.

"Nice day, isn't it." Her lips were tight and straight.

"Uh…yeah, it is," agreed Yang.

"We really should study for our next test." Blake began marching Yang forward before she could protest.

"Uh, isn't our next test two weeks from now?" she said a few seconds later.

"It's a big one. So we should prepare."

"Oh, okay. Well, bye," Yang called to Neo, who stood stunned at the end of the courtyard. Both teammates turned to look at her, and when Yang set her gaze back ahead, Blake thought she saw the makings of a frown cross Neo's face.

"Back in the library. Your favorite hangout," said Yang as Blake plunked her into a seat. The blond tapped the table, searching for words while Blake scooted in across her. "So what book are we cracking out first? Want to go to the history section to brush up on how they figured out the alchemy of Dust?"

"Sure," said Blake, and she got up. A few minutes later she returned, spreading books over the table. Yang reached for one, and so did Blake, not paying attention. Their hands touched.

Something halted in Blake's chest. Her gaze trailed up her arm, staring at the fingers connecting to her friend's.

"Well, I guess if we're not going to fight over who gets to read it first, we'll have to look at it together," said Yang a moment after, in clear surprise at the predicament.

Later Blake returned to their room. It was empty and clean, everything in its place. She'd washed her sheets thoroughly the morning after her breakdown, and now they were tucked in crisp and neat along the mattress. Blake closed the door and walked farther into the room. The sun shone brightly through the window.

She stood there a moment, and then burst out laughing, an uncontrollable rare cackle she couldn't stop. She fell to the floor with her arms crossed at the chest, convulsing as she barked out her hysteria on the carpet in painful and wonderful glee.


End file.
